New Computer Help

[Dricen]

I'm new to this forum so I'm not sure that I put this in the right place. I want to build a new PC mainly for gaming. My price range is anything below $1600. I want to get the best bang for my buck more or less. I don't really care about any extra things just the bare basics for a computer. So I would like someone to help me in choosing what parts I need! Thanks in advance!

 

[Bobthelost]

Overclocking?

Already have monitor or need that too?

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Factor in the cost of the OS if you need that too.

There are a bunch of threads like this already. You could probably gain a lot of info from reading the other threads.

 

[Dricen]

I have an OS and a moniter. I'm probably not going to overclock it.

 

[thespeakerbox]

Theres plenty of information here. If youre looking to learn about what people are telling you to put in your pc though id suggest looking at a couple of sites. i reccommend extremetech.com. They do alot of bang for your buck builds that can start out as a guide. I prefere my pcs to not make any noise, so heres what i would recommend.

antec p180
nexus fans
amd 64 3200+ or 3500+ (make sure to get 939)
Id replace the stock HSF with a Scythe ninja, also with a nexus fan.
a 939 motherboard (stay with 939 in case you want to upgrade later, and also stick with reliable brands -- asus & msi. ) look for on board gigabit lan too.
for a video card get something PCI-e. Id recommend a 6800gs. Its good for games now, can be overclocked easily, and wont break your wallet.
get at least a 250gb hard drive. Space is cheap. look on Newegg.com for good prices, and not only on the hard drives.
Any dvd-rw drive would work fine in my opinion.
Sound card : audigy 2 gamer

Other than that, i suggest you check out the FS/FT forums to get the BEST POSSIBLE deal . If thats not your taste, by from newegg.com or zipzoomfly.com.

I suggest checking out silentpcreview.com, extremetech.com, hardforums ,overclockers.net. Look aroudn to see what you want to build then ask questions about specifics.

 

[Bobthelost]

Okay, a single core CPU is probably best then, dual core would see some benifits but since games aren't CPU limmited at the moment i'd save a bit of cash there.

The top SLI boards are the DFI and A8N32 (there are others 99% as good)

2gb of Budget RAM

Case is up to you, bling or not bothered.

PSU would be dependant on what you get, but in no circumstances think you will need a 600W one.

HDs look at WD4000KD if you need lots of space, Hitachi 7k250 if less, Raptor 150 isn't really worth the money in your case, it'd be better spent on GPU.

 

[Xyron]

I just build this system and I like it alot.

Antec P180 Case
Enermax Liberty 500W PS
Asus A8N SLI-Premium
AMD X2 4400+
Corsair XMS 2x1gb
WD 250GB HD (16mb cache)
eVGA Geforce 7800GT
Sony Floppy Drive
Asus DVD/CDRW Combo Burner

With XP Pro I spent about $1750 (including shipping). Take out the OS and it is around $1600. There are ways to bring the price down (Value ram, cheaper case, cheaper power supply). But after 2-3 months of research this is the system that I wanted.

 

[Dricen]

Originally posted by: Xyron
I just build this system and I like it alot.

Antec P180 Case
Enermax Liberty 500W PS
Asus A8N SLI-Premium
AMD X2 4400+
Corsair XMS 2x1gb
WD 250GB HD (16mb cache)
eVGA Geforce 7800GT
Sony Floppy Drive
Asus DVD/CDRW Combo Burner

With XP Pro I spent about $1750 (including shipping). Take out the OS and it is around $1600. There are ways to bring the price down (Value ram, cheaper case, cheaper power supply). But after 2-3 months of research this is the system that I wanted.

I really like this setup. Did you build this for gaming? I'm mainly going to be using this for gaming. Games such as Battlefield 2 and World of Warcraft.

 

[Xyron]

I build it for its multitasking ability not just for gaming.

I do enjoy gaming alot (since that is what I do after work after my son and wife go to sleep). I do work form home sometimes, so I want to be able to Alt-Tab out of my game to actually do some work. I also wanted to set this up so my wife might be able to work out of the house.

There are better gaming set-ups out there. So you can adjust this build to capitalize on that. You can shave some money off the RAM (get Corsair Value select), you can get a slightly cheaper case, you can get a slightly cheaper PSU (but I chose this because it was modular, had good power output, and had long cables to fit my case). That way you can get a Sound Card ( even though I have had no problems with the onboard sound on the A8N SLI Premium), upgrade your Video card to a 7800GTX or better, or you can SLI 2 7800GT. I plan to SLI in the future, as the games I have right now do not require it (we will see when Elder Scrolls: Oblivion comes out).

 

[Dricen]

does this sound good for a motherboard/video card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130238

 

[Dricen]

And what kind of cooling should I have in?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

HL2 is cpu/fps limited as well as there mods. i'd wait to see how well the ATi 580 mb chipset does against the SLI setups. save some money in the meantime. id invest more in better secondary components like a good mb chipset first, ram, then vid card in that order. as for now, the top mb's are Asus A8N32 (amd) and the DFI Lan Party boards

 

[Xyron]

This is basically the same card without some of the extras. If you need the extras get the card you linked though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130247

 

[alimoalem]

my best recommendation: use the search function near the top next to "profile." search for "new rig" or "new build" or "recommendation" or something to that degree. i find at least 5 of these per day.

basics anyway:

your cpu should be dual core. no point in spending so much and getting a single core
mobo should be asus or epox or some other reputable brand
ram: 2 gigs of value ram
gpu: depends. i'd go with a single 7800gt right now. the one u picked (without the motherboard) is good
psu: 400w or 450w fortron
hard drive: western digital se16

 

[RussianSensation]

I'd go with

X2 3800+ or 4200+
DFI Ultra-D 939 board
2x1 gig any value ram will do, don't spend over $200 on ram
250gig drive Hitachi 7k250 seems to be really fast or WD
X1900XT
Seasonic S12-500 or Enermax 495 if you don't want to spend a lot

 

[fire400]

cpu: amd athlon 64 3200
mobo: nforce 3 series with pci express
RAM: 1gb DDR1 standard CAS: 512 x2
HD: 80gb x2 SATA300
video: Geforce 6600gt 128mb GDDR3
sound: creative x-fi music edition
optical: floppy drive, DVD-RW (16x) x2
lcd: $200 and under

Win XP SP2
Office XP Pro

Under 1600 dollars

 

[Dricen]

So this is what I have decided on. Do you guys think this looks pretty solid?

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor - Retail

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard

CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM System Memory - Retail

ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT 500W Power Supply

ANTEC P180 Case

Hitachi SATA 1 250GB

BFG Tech Geforce 7800GT BFGR78256GTOC Video Card

Thermatalke CL-P0114 Big Typhoon 4 in 1 Heatpipe Cooler w/Heatpipe Cooling Tech Retail

COOLER MASTER 120X25MM SUF-S12-EB UV SILENT FAN - BLUE

 

[Bobthelost]

Nice build, but if you're not going to go SLI then you could save some money on that motherboard there, also if you're not going SLI then you can just use a 400W liberty there's still enough room for a decent overclock and a lot of upgrading with 400W.

I still think that if you're not overclocking then you'd be better off with a high end single core, but there is nothing at all wrong with a 3800X2.

 

[Dricen]

I've decided that I am going to overclock. I'm getting alittle bit of upgrades because I may in the future need them. This is also all in budget.

 

[Bobthelost]

Good stuff, but if you're not going to get SLI cards then you're just flat out wasting money that you could spend on a sound card or a better graphics card.

 

[Dricen]

what would you suggest then? the motherboard is only $129

 

[Bobthelost]

Sugestions? Damn, i hate it when i'm asked for constructive critisim...

FI nF4 Ultra-Infinity ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

$95 at newegg. Although i have no idea just how good it is for overclocking DFI has a very good name.

If you're going for single card then you can get a 400W PSU, it's enough to power a high end PC if you don't start adding 10 drive HD arrays etc.